


Stargazing

by nocturneforest



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, One Shot, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 04:41:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6105230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nocturneforest/pseuds/nocturneforest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma And Killian go stargazing on the deck of the Jolly Roger. Pure fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stargazing

It was those first few nights that she spent on Killian’s ship that they really grew close. Nights when the moon hung low in the evening sky, and the feeling of sweet warmth consumed her entire being. Seconds felt as if they were infinite whenever she was with him, as if time came to a halt to prolong those moments of perfection. The nights filled with legs intertwined, and being held in one another’s embrace; nights of tired eyes fluttering shut as the they shared stories of their pasts in whispers only loud enough to be heard by the other. It was in those first few nights that they created their infinity.

Emma let out a small content sigh as she stirred, waking from her sleep to find herself wrapped in Killian’s arms, comforted by his warmth. She stretched out her legs for a moment, before intertwining them again with his. The cabin in the ship was still dark, so she figured it to still be night, and willed herself back to sleep - soothed by the gentle rocking of the boat and the steady pace of Killian’s deep breathing. She shifted positions ever so slightly, pressing her back into the curve of Killian’s chest. Killian woke at this movement with a soft, low hum.

“Killian?” Emma whispered.

“Yes, love?” Killian replied in his drowsy half-asleep state.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to wake you up.” She rolled over to look at him, finding his eyes were still closed. He moved his hand and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her into him and kissing her.

“Mmm” He sighed as she pressed her forehead against his, “I’d be happy to be woken by you any day.” He grinned, and she kissed him once more, before rolling over again and being scooped in close to him so that her head was resting in the hollow of his neck.

“I guess we should try to get back to sleep then…” Emma trailed off.

“Yes, I suppose.” Killian responded, kissing her on the head.

They stayed like that for a couple minutes - wrapped in one another’s arms, breathing and heartbeats in sync as they tried to fall asleep again.

“Killian?” Emma broke the silence a couple minutes later, unable to fall back asleep.

“Can’t sleep?” Killian let out a small laugh.

“Nope.”

“Mmm,” He hummed, beginning to run his fingers though her hair and allowing them to trail down her back in an attempt to soothe her to sleep, “When I was just a lad, whenever I couldn’t sleep, my brother used to take me out to look at the stars. He’d show me the different constellations, and teach me how to navigate by them.” He whispered, as his mind flooded with memories of his brother and his childhood.

“That sounds nice. Living in the city I could never do anything like that - you couldn’t even see the stars.” Even if she had been able to see the stars in the city, it wasn’t like she’d’ve ever had the opportunity. There’s not much room in the foster system for stargazing - especially not with the homes that she was placed in.

“Are you telling me you’ve never been stargazing?” Killian asked, sitting up abruptly.

“Nope. Never been.” She said, suddenly much more awake.

Killian hopped out of bed and grabbed his shirt (which had been practically torn off by Emma earlier in the evening) that was hanging on the bedpost, and pulled it over his head.

“Killian, what are you-?”

“Going stargazing.” Killian grinned, offering his hand out to Emma.

“Killian it’s two in the morning…” She stared at him, mouth hanging open in shock.

“Aye. Which is why it’s the perfect time to go stargazing. Now, you should probably put on a shirt love, it’s quite brisk out there.” HE suggested, and Emma rolled her eyes.

“Fine,” She grumbled, “But I’m bringing my blanket.”

She follows him up to the upper deck, and watches as he unanchors the ship.

“Woah wait - where are we going?” She asks as he makes his way to the ship’s large, wooden steering wheel.

“To the middle of the sea, of course! There’s no better place to see the stars!” Emma tilts her head, studying him - a stupid grin on his face.

“You can see the stars from here, Killian.” She says, tilting her head toward the sky.

“It’s not the same,” He offers out his hand to her, “Now come, help me steer the ship.”

She takes his hand and shuffles over to him, still surrounded by the warmth of the blanket that she’d brought with her. When she makes her way to his side, she wraps the blanket around his shoulders too, and takes hold of the wheel.

They steer the ship out of the docks and toward the horizon line of the ocean, which is illuminated by the cold light of the moon.

“The best place to see the stars has always been out in the middle of the ocean, but back when I was a lad, before my seafaring days, my brother and I used to go up and look at them from the roof. We’d climb out our window and scale up the drainpipe - much to my parent’s disapproval, of course - and then lie on the roof for hours just watching the sky move.” He explains to her, as they make their way out to the middle of the sea, where storybook will become just a distant memory.

“You miss him.” She whispers.

“Aye. Every day. It was worse at the beginning, though time has helped. Not so much, not now that I’ve you.” He scratches his ear, “Now, how about those stars, love?”

Killian stops the ship and lets go of Emma to go drop down the anchors. Nothing but ocean surrounds the ship, as far as the eye can see. The surface of the water is like glass once the ship had come to a standstill - reflecting the stars and the moon as if it were a mirror - creating an infinite starry plain.

Emma follows him as he makes his way to the bow of the ship, where the Bowsprit jets out over the ocean.

“After you, love.” He says, gesturing to the bowsprit.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Her eyes are wide at the sight of the long pole which was no less than a 7 foot drop to the cold water below.

“It’s in bad form to kid, Swan - every true pirate knows that.”

“Alright, well what if I fall?” Emma challenges him.

“Then I jump right in after you, and then we come back in and warm up.”

“Fine. But if this goes badly then it’s on you.” She jokes back, and rolls her eyes before making her way out onto the long plank of wood. Killian follows her, and sits down beside her, staring out at the night sky.

“So, now what?” She asks, curious.

“We look at the stars, and search for constellations.”

She smiles, and then stares out at the emptiness of the sky. The fresh sea air fills her lungs - it’s delicate scent soothing her. The brightness of the moon captures her eye, and lights up her face with a cool blue light. She never thought that she’d see a sky so big, or endless as this. It makes her feel infinitesimal and nearly child like - and at the same time something about it makes her feel like she’s finally a part of something. A part of something important. Time doesn’t slow in this moment - it simply doesn’t exist altogether. For the fist time in her life there is no future, and more importantly, there is no past. There’s none of the pain or the loneliness. There’s only now, here, with Killian, peering into the boundless abyss of the universe.

One of the brighter stars that shines from somewhere a million miles away catches her eye, and she points to it.

“What’s that one called?” She asks him, and immediately a soft smile spreads across his face.

“That’s Saiph - it makes up a constellation called ‘Orion’. See here…” Killian raises his hand to point to the other stars in the constellation, “that’s Orion’s belt. The three stars in a row. And there - is his sword. See? You can make out his shoulders there… And his arm… Up there. Do you see that?”

Emma nods without saying a word - caught up in the beauty of the stars.

“He’s supposed to be holding up a club in one hand and a lion in the other. He’s a hunter - supposed to represent strength. It’s always been my favourite constellation, even when I was a lad. Whenever things were tough, I used to look up at Orion for hope. I figured if he could be strong, then perhaps I could too. I suppose I took it as a sign - so long as Orion remained in the sky, I could find the strength to survive whatever I was dealing with at the time.” He explains to her slowly, and she savours his every word.

“They’re beautiful.” She whispers in a state of awe.

“Aye. When I was younger my brother you to tell me tales of making a wish on one, and having it come true. Funny how, for years, I thought that none of my wishes would work. I suppose I was wrong.”

“And what was that? That you wished for, I mean.” She turns her head to face him, taking in his every detail as they’re illuminated by the moon’s light.

“I wished that I wouldn’t have to wish any longer. I know, it’s a dumb wish, but I just wanted my life to be at a point where I had everything that I wanted - a home, someone who I love, happines-“

“Killian?” Emma cuts him off in the middle of his sentence, taken aback by his previous statement.

“Yes, Love?” He turns to look at her to find her looking up at him, eyes big and mouth slightly parted.

“Did you just say you love me?” She asks, hesitantly.

“Yes… I suppose I did.” He whispers, blinking a couple times before looking down at the water beneath him.

Thinking on instinct, she presses her mouth to his, allowing herself to be consumed by emotions. The taste of his lips on hers is soft, sweet and captivating and she hungers for more. She runs her fingers through his hair at the back of his neck with one hand, and grabs on to the collar of his shirt with the other. She tilts her head slightly to the left to deepen the kiss, and the next thing she knows she’s plummeting towards the water along with Killian.

The cold washes over her the instant that she plunges into the water. She swims up to the surface, gasping for breath, and searching for Killian, who breaks the surface a moment later.

“Killian! I knew sitting on the pole was a bad idea.” She gives his shoulder a gentle but playful shove.

“I’m not the one who couldn’t control themselves, Swan.” He says as a grin reads across his face, “Now, what do you say we go get dried off?”

“Wait-“ Emma says, before pulling him in for another kiss - this time much softer.

“I love you too.” She whispers under her breath once they’ve broken apart and are pressing their foreheads together.

“I love you too, Killian Jones. I love you too.”


End file.
